The Female Persuasion

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This mildly entertaining story about a shy girl who ends up becoming an active feminist not-so-subtly ticks off the major (and minor) arguments about feminism. What does it mean to be feminist? Should feminism be about seminars and education, or more bootstrap in the trenches? Feminists can be angels, but they can also be their own worst enemies-dragging each other down and betraying what they stand for. Feminists can be males, or they can be women who don't seem to have done much with their lives. Good works can be overdone at the expense of family and relationships. But it can also change the world for underprivileged or oppressed females. It's basically a primer about feminism with a story built around it. The story does get a bit better as you go on, but it's an issue-driven book, not a character- or plot-driven one.


"I think that's what the people who change our lives always do.  They give us permission to be the person we secretly really long to be bu maybe don't feel we're allowed to be."

"It was if her voice alone had quit her job, her voice had stepped up and made the executive decision and done all the speaking, while the rest of her had simply listened and watched."

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